Research stories

Our investments support research that benefits Canadians

In CFI-funded labs and facilities across the country, researchers in all stages of their careers are making discoveries, supporting a robust innovation ecosystem and helping solve some of the world’s most pressing challenges. 

Portrait of Nafissa Ismail professor in the School of Psychology at the University of Ottawa.

How neuroendocrinology crosses sectors to create promising new insights

Nafissa Ismail focuses on the effects of hormones on the brain to pin down the interactions between our organs and our emotions
Listen now
Hilary Earl kneels on the floor with her laptop as she prepares for an interview. In the foreground is a video camera.
article

Investigating the causes — and consequences — of war and genocide

How immersive simulation, film, video and podcasting tools are giving Hilary Earl and her colleagues fresh insights into the history of state-sponsored violence
All articles
Portrait of Nafissa Ismail professor in the School of Psychology at the University of Ottawa.
podcast
Ontario

How neuroendocrinology crosses sectors to create promising new insights

Nafissa Ismail focuses on the effects of hormones on the brain to pin down the interactions between our organs and our emotions
All podcasts
Image of various cellphones on a wooden table displaying photos of researchers.
video

A promising future, now: 25 years of investing in ideas that change our world

The Canada Foundation for Innovation has supported cutting-edge research in Canada for 25 years. In these videos, researchers reflect on how CFI funding has advanced their work and how future generations will benefit. They tell passionate stories of curiosity, commitment and innovation.
All videos

All stories

Robert J. Sawyer makes the Vulcan salute to an off-camera audience
podcast

Sci-fi writer Robert Sawyer imagines the future of Canadian science

This country’s extraordinary real-life research facilities provide a wondrous backdrop for Sawyer’s imagined futures, proving you don’t have to stray far from home to be inspired by leading-edge science
Portrait of Chukwunonso Nzelu
podcast
Alberta

Tiny fly, deadly bite

Leishmaniasis is a devastating disease that kills tens-of-thousands of people every year. By studying the sandflies that transmit it, the University of Calgary’s Chukwunonso Nzelu is helping to zero in on a vaccine
Portrait of Annie Castonguay
podcast

Better molecules for better medicine

Annie Castonguay, a researcher at Quebec’s Institut national de la recherche scientifique, works to mobilize metals to destroy cancer cells and drug-resistant bacteria when traditional antibiotics and cancer treatments fall short
PhD student Sheena Gurm stands surrounded by line drawings depicting strands of DNA
podcast
Manitoba

Seeking a treatment for ALS

PhD student Sheena Gurm looks deep into brain cells for clues to a deadly disease
A robot hand holds a glowing, stylized atom
podcast
British Columbia,Ontario,Nova Scotia,Quebec

The solace of quantum

Sub-atomic research portends a second digital revolution that could solve some of our most vexing problems
Photo of Trafford Simpson, professor of Optometry and Vision Science at the University of Waterloo
podcast
Ontario

Sight for sore eyes

Trefford Simpson investigates how — and why — our eyes feel pain
Michael Houghton posing for a photo.
podcast
Alberta

Michael Houghton’s 30-year quest to cure Hepatitis C

After discovering the Hep C virus in 1989, Houghton is now closing in on a vaccine for the potentially fatal disease

Catherine Girard poses with line drawing illustrations around her.
podcast
Quebec

Dealing with mercury in food

PhD student, Catherine Girard, studies the impact of mercury in country food in the North
Illustration of four men in business suits rowing a vessel shaped like an arrow. A fifth man, standing in front of them, shouts from a megaphone.
podcast

Episode six: The way forward

The final episode of our podcast series takes stock of where the CFI is today and where innovation in Canada needs to be 20 years from now
Three rows of round icons display a variety of bacteria and virus illustrations.
podcast
Ontario

Keeping antibiotics ahead of infectious diseases

Gerry Wright talks about the problems with promiscuous bacteria and how antibiotics resistance could affect the future of medicine
Illustration of a group of men and women running up a mountain. The leader is waving a Canadian flag.
podcast

Episode five: A new research strategy for Canada

A continuation of our podcast series that traces the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s unlikely origin story
A vector graphic of opened head symbol with researchers and research infrastructure inside over the CFI logo on red background.
podcast

The CFI's origin story

This is the origin story of the Canada Foundation for Innovation, an organization dedicated to the future, that was born at a time when the country was heavily burdened by its past